Christian Friedrich Illgen (16 September 1786 – 4 August 1844) was a German Protestant theologian, known for his work in the field of

historical theology Historical theology is the study of the history of Christian doctrine. Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling describe it as, "The division of the theological discipline that seeks to understand and delineate how the church interpreted Scripture and deve ...

. Illgen was born in

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...

. He studied theology at the University of Leipzig, where in 1814 he obtained his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

. In 1818 he became an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, and several years later, an associate professor of theology. From 1825 onward, he served as a full professor of theology at the University of Leipzig.ADB:Illgen, Christian Friedrich
Deutsche Biographie On four occasions he was dean to the faculty of theology (1830/31, 1833/34, 1837/38, 1841/42). In 1814 he founded the successful ''Historisch-theologische Gesellschaft zu Leipzig'', an association for the promotion of church history studies. Beginning in 1832, he was editor of the periodical ''Zeitschrift für die historische Theologie'' (Magazine of Historical Theology). After his death in Leipzig in 1844, publication of the journal was continued by

Christian Wilhelm Niedner Christian Wilhelm Niedner (9 August 1797 – 13 August 1865) was a German church historian and theologian born in Oberwinkel, which today is part of the town of Waldenburg, Saxony. He studied theology at the University of Leipzig, where in 1826 he ...

Selected works

* ''Vita Laelii Socini : specimen historico-ecclesiasticum'', 1814. * ''Der Werth der christlichen Dogmengeschichte'', 1817 – The value of Christian dogmatic history. * ''Denkschrift der historisch-theologischen Gesellschaft zu Leipzig'', 1817 – Memoirs of the historical-theological society of Leipzig. * ''Symbolarum ad vitam et doctrinam Laelii Socini'', 1826. * ''Memoria utriusque catechismi Lutheri'', 1829-30 (4 volumes). * ''Historiae Collegii Philobiblici Lipsiensis'', 1836-41 (4 parts).Most widely held works by Christian Friedrich Illgen
WorldCat Identities

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Illgen, Christian Freidrich 1786 births 1844 deaths People from Chemnitz Leipzig University alumni Academic staff of Leipzig University 19th-century German Protestant theologians Historians of Christianity German historians of religion